I purchased my first pair of Beats headphones in 2014: the Dr. Dre Solo HD Headband Headphones. They were so popular on my college campus you would have thought they accompanied admission letters. Mine were a striking shade of teal, which, at the time, felt very cool. After wearing them constantly for years, they fell by the wayside for Apple AirPods, which became a near-permanent fixture in my ears. But now, half a decade after trading my sizable Dr. Dre headphones for compact earbuds, I find myself again drawn to over-the-ear models, heralding a new headphone era with the Beats Studio Pro Headphones ($256, originally $379), which are on major sale right now, FYI. Ahead, I share everything you need to know about them in case you're contemplating a headphone switch, too.

Beats Studio Pro Headphones

From

$256

$379 Now 32% off

$256 at Amazon

What I love most about the Beats Studio Pro Headphones is how seamlessly they pair with my iPhone — it took just a few seconds to connect them. You just press and hold the small button on the left-ear side of the headphones for three seconds, and voilà, a prompt appears on your iPhone to connect. The simplicity of this process is hardly surprising, given that Apple owns Beats, but I'd be doing you a disservice not to mention it.

Another thing I appreciate is that there are two listening modes: fully-adaptive Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) and Transparency mode. I'll be honest: I never once tried to use transparency mode on my AirPods, nor did I know it was an option until just recently. Nonetheless, it's super easy to switch between the two with the Beats Studio Pro headphones; you just double-press the power button (the same one you use to sync it with your other devices). The noise-cancellation effect is excellent; I'm able to hear when someone's speaking to me while canceling out background noise almost entirely.

I have a lengthy list of features I love about these headphones, but my third favorite standout is their top-notch battery life of 40 (!) hours. I can go days without charging them (which is honestly a godsend to me because I'm always running on low battery). A few more things I adore that I can't resist sharing? These headphones come in a compact and stylish case that's perfect for both storage and travel. The color options are more classic and timeless compared to my previous teal headphones, which is a win. Plus, they're comfortable during workouts, including long runs on the treadmill.

The most important factor about the Beats Studio Pro Headphones is that you don't get the full experience without activating Spatial Audio personalization. (Note: This feature requires an iPhone X or later.) While it sounded like a hassle to set up, it was anything but. The process took just two minutes and enhanced my listening experience significantly. Its purpose is to replicate an immersive, three-dimensional theater-like sound, and it lives up to the hype. One of the thousands who rated them five stars wrote: "This feature is the cherry on top of an already delicious cake. Watching videos becomes an immersive experience, akin to being in a theater with surround sound. The spatial audio envelopes you in a cocoon of sound, making every scene more impactful and every note more poignant." That said, though, if you're not planning to utilize this feature, I'd consider shelling out less money on a different model because that's one of the biggest appeals of this pair.

The Beats Studio Pro Headphones are best for those like me, who are looking for a high-quality pair of over-the-ear headphones. Their timeless design is especially appealing for those who may regret past decisions of opting for bold-colored headphones (hi). They offer comfort during workouts for gym enthusiasts and provide an immersive audio experience for entertainment aficionados.

I purchased the Beats Studio Pro Headphones on Amazon, but you can also purchase them via Apple, Target, or Best Buy, among other big-name retailers.

Rating: ★★★★★